Labeling-machine



5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

' I Inventor; James 0'60nn0r;

. a u a i Q A. 3 n

By his Aitornqy.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921'.

J. OCONNOR.

LABELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 11.

Patented 0m; 18, 1921.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N Q N O0 OH I I I I I l l I l .J

Infi'entm;

his Attorney.

J. OCONNOR.

LABELING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB-11, 1920.

1,394,339. Patented Oct. 18, 1921;

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3,

. Inventor; James 060mm; i @M his Aiiornqy."

5 SHEETS-SHEE'I 4.

Jhventor; :Tames 060nnor;

his Aiiorne y.

Patented 001;. 18, 1921.

J. OCONNOR.

LABELING MACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11. 1920. 1,394,339.

J. O'CONNOR.

V LABELINGMACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB- 11. 1920.

Patented Oct; 18, ML

5 suns-sneer 5 4 Inventor; James 0 Zonnor;

hisAiiorney.

UNITED STATES JAIMES OCOITNOR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LABELIN G-MACHIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18,1921.

Application filed February 11, 1920. Serial No. 357,858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES OCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Labeling-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to labeling machines and has for its object toprovide a machine of the class specified, simple in construction,efficient and rapid in operationand adapted to be adjusted for handlinga variety of sizes of labels. Other features of usefulness andadaptability will appear later herein.

With these ends in view my improvements comprise features illustrated intheir preferred embodiment in the drawings accompanying thisspecification, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section,of a labeling machine in which are in corporated my improvements. F 2 isa plan view corresponding with the elevation of Fig. 1. F ig. asectional end elevation, the section being taken on line 33 of F ig. 1.Fig. 4; is a sectional elevation of a portion of what is shown near theright hand end of Figs. 1 and 2, the section being taken on line 1-d ofFig. 5. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of what is shown in theelevation of Fig. l. F ig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation similar toa portion of that of ig. 1, showing some of the parts in different relative positions. F ig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation, similar to aportion of F igs. 1 and 6, showing some of the parts at another step intheir relative movements. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation,similar tothat of F 6, showing some of the parts in difl erent relativepositions. T he scale of Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 8 is the same; the scale ofFigs. 3, i, 5, and 7 is the same and slightly larger than that of theearlier recited figures.

lVhile my improvements are, in their general application, adapted to awide variety of results within their particular field, they have beenillustrated as one example of their applicability, embodied in a machinefor applying labels and leading tabs to music sheets for player-pianos.

The various parts of my improved machine may be conveniently supportedon bed 2 which may in turn be supported on suitable legs, not shown.Motion is transmitted to the several operative mechanisms from cams onmain shaft 5, supported in bearings 6, 6 upstanding from said bed 2, andpower may be applied for rotating said shaft through pulley 7, fixedthereto.

Suitable receptacles, 8 for the labels and 9 for the tabs, best shown inFigs. 1 and 5, are provided near the right hand end of the machine, Fig. 1. These receptacles are adapted for receiving supplies of theirrespective labels and tabs and are underfed by means of springnrgedplungers. For picking oil, one at a time, an example of each label andtab, a duplex pneumatic picker 10, mounted for oscillation about theaxis of rock-shaft 11, is provided. Said picker 10 is of hollowconstruction and is provided with perforated lower shoes 12 and 13,preferably of yieldable material such as rubber. Said shoe 12 is ofsufiicient extent to overlay the top of the pile lat of labels, and shoe13 is of sufiicient extent to overlay such portion of the topmost tab instack 15 as is to be impressed on the end 16 of the music sheet 17.Picker 10 is preferably pivoted in the outer end of arm 18 so as to beadjustable for seating on the labels and tabs. Also said picker 10 isremovably connected at- 19 to its head 20, so that said picker may bereplaced as required by other pickers adapted in size to other labelsand tabs. Picker rock-shaft 11 is trunnioned between ears 21, 21upstanding from slide 22 mounted in frame 39 for reciprocation towardand from table 23, music sheet to be labeled. For causing said slide 22to reciprocate, cars 24, 24 thereof have pivoted therebetween theforward end of link 5 and whichv link bears near its other end roll 26for engagement with cam 27 fixed to shaft Said link is bifurcated at itsrearward end 28 to straddle shaft 5 for guidance, and roll 26 is urgedto engagement with cam 27 by pull-spring 29. In addition to the movementimparted to picker 10 through the movement of slide 22, other means formoving said picker are as follows: F ixed to rock. shaft 11 are arms 30and 31, the former operatively connected by link 32 and roll 33 thereonwith cam 34 on shaft 5, and the lat ter operatively connected through.roll 35 thereon with cam 36. Said rolls are urged to engagement withtheir respective cams by spring 37. Cam 3 6 is pivotally mounted at 38near its left hand end, Fig. 1, on one side 01 frame 39. At one step inthe operation of the machine the right hand end oi cam 36 is lifted bymeans of toe 4:0 fixed to rock-shaft 41. Also fixed to said rock-shaftis arm 42 operatively connected by link and roll 44: thereon with cam 45fixed to shaft 5. Said which supports the roll is urged to engagementwith cam 15 by spring lti.

F or exhausting the air, when required, from the interior of picker 10,the following means are provided: From the chamber within picker 10 anair passage is provided through head 20, arm 18 and shaft 11, fromsaid'picker to pipe 17, which connects the hollow end of said shaft withvalve 48, which is in turn connected by pipe 19 with exhaust pump 50.Valve 18 is of well known three-way type, having a right angled passagethrough its plug 51, the direction of which is indicated by the markingon the head of the plug. F or operating plug 51 of said valve 18, arm 52is operatively connected by link 53 bearing roll 5-1 with cam 55 fixedto shaft 5; Said roll is urged to engagement with cam 55 by spring 56.Foroperating pump 50 its piston-rod 57 is connected by links 58, 58 tothe lower end of oscillating arm 59, and which arm is pivoted in bearing60 upstanding from bed 2. The upper. end of said arm 59 carries roll 61for engagement with cam 62 fixed to shaft 5. Spring 63 is provided forurging roll 61 to engagement with cam 62.

Reverting now to receptacles 8 and 9, particularly as shown in Figs. 1and 5, receptacles 8 for the labels comprises two pairs of opposite sideplates 64, 6-1 and 65, 55, respeo- These plates are mounted on cantively. riers, as 60 to one of plates or and as 67 to the other ofplates 64. These carriers are slidably mounted in guide-block 71 andwith their respective plates are adj usta-ble in unison toward eachother from the positions of Fig. 5, by means of screw 68 having oppositeright and left hand. threaded portions in engagement with suitable hubson said carriers, respectively. Said screw is restrained against endwisemovement by collar 69 pinned thereto and which collar engages oppositeears 7 0, '70 upstanding from guide block 71. Said screw may be rotatedby means of knurled button 72; Plates 65,

65 are similarlyadjust-able in unison toward each other by means ofscrew 78. For sustaining and urging upwardly the pile of labels 14-,spring urged plunger 4: is provided. Said plunger 7a is head (5 whichsupports a removable base 7 6 on which rests said pile. lVhen plates 64and 65 are adjusted inwardly to accommodate smaller labels acorrespondingly smaller base is substituted for base 76. For prevent ingthe pile of labels from being pushed upwardly out of receptacle 8, clips77, 77 inreaching' over the edges of the top of the pile and fixed tothe upper edges of the side plates are provided.

. Receptacle 9 for the stack of tabs 15 comprises a vertical wall 7 8preferably surrounding the stack and conforming in general contour tothe profile of a tab. Said provided with wall is carried by bracket 79adjustably mounted on bed 2, so that said stack 15 may be moved towardstack 14: when smaller labelsiare used. Said stack of tabs 15 is urgedupwardly by spring-pressed plunger 80, and clips 81 prevent said tabsfrom being pushed upwardly out of receptacle 9.

For supplying gum to the tabs and labels after they have been pickedfrom their respective piles one of'each at a time by picker 10, agunnning station comprising the following is provided: U istanding fromframe 89 are opposite brackets 82, 83 which, midway their height, carrybearings 53%, 85, respectively, for rock-shaft 86. Said bracketsterminate upwardly in supports for guideways 87, 88 for gumboX 89. SaidgumbOX hasfixed to the upper portions of its side walls bearings forshafts 90, 91 for gum rolls 92, 93, respectively. Gum roll 92 isprovided with scraper9 1 adjustably fixed to said gumbox. Said gum rollshafts 90, 91 have fixed to their rear ends, Fig. 2, intermeshing gears95, 96, respectively, and shaft 90 has fixed to its forward end groovedpulley 97. Turning freely on oscillating shaft 8(5is pulley 98 havingtwo grooves therein, and fixed to shaft 5 is grooved pulley 99. Power istransmitted from pulley 99 to pulley 98 by belt 100 and from pulley 98to pulley 97by belt 101.

For transferring V the faces of the tab and label, respectively, on theface of picker 10, roll 102, carried by swinging arms 103, 104i, isprovided. Said roll 102 is provided with gear 105 fixed to the rear endof its shaft 106 for engagement intermittently with gear 96. Also fixedto shaft 106 are opposite rolls 107, 108 for engagement with tracks 109,110 and cams carried thereby, respectively. Roll shaft 106 is yieldablysupported in arms 103, 10 1 by means of slidable rodslll, 112 havinghooks their outward ends, respectively, for engaging said shaft andhaving springs, as 118,-for retracting said-rods. Said arms 103, 10 1-have depending members 11 1, 115, connected by links 116, 117,

to-arms 118, 119, respectively, fixed to rockshaft 85. Said arms 103, 101 are thereby constrained to act in unison. Depending from arm 118 ismember 120 operatively connected by link 121 and roll 122 thereon withcam' 123 fixed to shaft 5.

Tracks 109, 110 over the right hand edges of which rolls 107, 108traverse, respectively, are supported by brackets depending fromguideways 87, 88, as bracket 124 of guideway 87. Said tracks are eachprovided with a pair of adjustable cams for lifting gumroll 102 fromcontact, when desired, With the label and tab carried by picker 10, toprevent the rolling up of the end of the label and tab by adhesion tosaid roll. As these pairs of cams are right and left duplicates adescription of one pair will suffice for both, see Fig. 7. Track 109 isprovided with slots 125, 126 in which are adjustably mounted blocks 127,128, respectively. Block 127 has pivotally mounted thereon cam 129,lying against the side face of track 109, and adapted to swing inparallelism with said face. The operative end 130 of said cam projectsslightly beyond the operative edge of said track and said cam is urgedto operative position against pin 131 of block 127 by spring 132. Cam133 is pivotally mounted on block 128 and has its operative edge 134projecting slightly be yond the edge of track 109. Said cam is urged toone of its operative positions against pin 135 of block 128 b 7 spring136, and pin 137 in said block holds said cam in its other operativeposition when forced thereaga-inst the tension of spring 136. Theprovided adjustment for blocks 12?, 128, carrying cams 129, 133,respectively, is to permit those cams to be shifted toaccommodatevarious sizes of labels and coi'isequent shifting of theposition of the corresponding tab on picker 10. It will be obvious thateither labels or tabs or two varieties of either may be used in myimproved machine in place of the labels and tabs illustrated.

The operation of my improved machine is as follows: Receptacles 8 and 9being supplied with labels and tabs, respectively, and a music sheet 17or other article to be labeled and tabbed being placed on table 23 whereits leading end may be located by suitable guides 138, 139, shaft 5 isstarted in clockwise direction, Fig. 1. Slide 22 is then in its rearwardposition and cam 34, through roll 33, link 32 and arm 30, rotates hollowshaft 11 in clockwise direction, thereby causing picker 10 to engage theuppermost label and tab in said receptacles, respectively, Figs. 1, 2and 4. Coincident with the engagement of picker 10 with said label andtab, cam 62 starts to operate the piston of pump 50 to the left, Fig. 1,and valve 18, having its passage open from said pump to pipe 47,exhausts the air from pick-er 10, thereby causing said label and tab toadhere to picker shoes 12 and 13, respectively,

F ii. 4:.

t this time, gum having been supplied to gum box 89, gum rolls 92 and 93are being rotated in the direction of their respective arrows, Fig. 2,and roll 102 is in contact with roll 93 and taking gum therefrom.

The continued rotation of cam 34 presently brings a lower portion of itsface into engagement with roll 33 whereby, under the influence of spring37, shaft 11 is rotated in anti-clockwise direction, thereby raisingpicker 10 with a label and tab on the face thereof to the position ofFig. 6. During the latter portion of the upward movement ofpicker 10,roll 102 starts downwardly with its rolls 107, 108 in contact withtracks 109, 110, respectively. Just before reaching the upper edge ofpicker 10 and the label thereon, said rolls 107, 108 encounter theoperative ends of opposite cams, as end 130 of cam 129, whereby gum roll102 is moved away from the end of the label on picker 10, and as rolls107 108 ride off the lower ends of said cams, roll 102 engages saidlabel a short distance from its end and then rolls onwardly thereover,delivering gum to the face thereof, except for that portion near itsupper end. It will be observed in Figs. 6 and 7 that the label on picker10 protrudes slightly beyond the faces of tracks 109, 110, so that gumroll 102 may freely engage said label as it passes thereover.

Opposite cams, as 133, serve the same function for the upper end of thetab on said picker, toward gum roll 102 therefrom, as just described inconnection with the upper end of the label. After roll 102 has traveledits full downward stroke, gumming the body portion of the tab butstopping short of the eyeleted portion thereof, said roll reverses itsdirection of travel and starts on its return movement. In so doing rolls107, 108 encounter the operative ends of the lower cams as end 131 ofearn 133, Fig. 7, and swing those cams upwardly until they encountertheir respective stop pins as pin 137 tocam 133. This permits gum roll102 to gum the upper end portion of the face of the tab, which portionfailed to be gummed during the downward stroke of roll 102. lVhen cams,as 133, encounter their stop pins as 137, the operative ends of thesecams, as end 134: of cam 133, still project above the faces of theirrespective tracks, whereby rolls 107 108 ride over those projectingends, thereby fending roll 102 off from the bottom end of the label andpermitting it to fall onto the face of the label near its bottom end,

Fig. 7. Said roll 102 continuing its upward movement over the face ofthe label, its rolls 107, 108 presently encounter the upper cams, as129, and swing those cams upwardly, thereby permitting roll 102 to gumthe upper portion of the face of the label, which portion failed to-begummed during the downward stroke of roll 102. Said roll then continuesits upward movement until it encounters roll 93 for a new supply of gum.

Picker 10 is then at liberty to descend, which it thereupon starts todo, caused by the movement of roll 35 up cam 36 under the influence ofthe forward movement to the right, Fig. 8, of slide 22. In the meantimeroll 33 runs away from its cam 3 1, as slide 22 advances. The combinedforward movement of slide 22 and the downward oscillation of picker 10presently brings said picker into delivery position over the sheet ontable 23. Just before said picker reaches the point of delivery of itslabel and tab onto said sheet,said slide and picker reach the limit oftheir movement to the right, with the picker poised just above the sheeton table 28. Thereupon toe 40, under cam 36, is lifted, thereby liftingthe free end of cam 36 and therefore roll thereon, thus causing picker10 to descend and deliver its label and tab directly onto the sheet.During these described movements the piston of pump has been moving tothe left, whereby said pump continued to exhaust the air from thepicker, thereby retaining the label and tab thereon, but just as thepicker deposits the label and tab on the sheet, said piston has reachedthe end of its stroke and valve plug 51 is moved from the position ofFigs. 1 and 6 tothat of Fig. 8 thereby closing the connection to thepump and opening a passage to the outer air through connection 141,whereby the picker releases its hold on said label and tab.

The picker is then lifted and withdrawn from the position of Fig. 8 tothat of Fig. 1 and the operation repeated. 7

In some cases it has been found eflicient to make cam 8a of sufficientsize and of suit able contour to supply therefrom all the movements ofshaft 11, carrying picker 10, thereby dispensing with cam 36, roll 85and arm 31, but I have found that the use of cam 36 and itsappurtenances permits of more convenient adjustment in operation.

I claim:

1. In a labeling machine the combination of a label receptacle, agumniing station for the label, a support for the article to be labeled,an oscillatable shaft, a picker fixed to said shaft, said shaft beingmounted for reciprocation in a path normal to the direction of itslength, means for oscillating said shaft on a temporarily fixed axis tomove the picker from the label receptacle to the gumming station andfrom the gum- I ming station toward the article support, and

means coacting with the oscillating means for reciprocating thereaftersaid shaft toward the article support to cause the picker to engage anarticle on said support.

2. In a labeling machine the combination of a label receptacle, agumming station for the label, a support for the article to be labeled,an oscillatable shaft, a picker fixed to said shaft, said shaft beingmounted for reciprocation in a path normal to the direction of itslength, means for oscillating said shaft on a temporarily fixed axis tomove the picker from the label receptacle to the gummingstation and fromthe gumming station toward the article support, means for reciprocatingthereafter said shaft toward the article support, and means fordepressing the picker to cause it to engage an article on the articlesupport after said shaft has completed its movement toward said articlesupport. 7

3. In a labeling machine the combination of a label receptacle, agumming station for the label, a support for the article to be labeled,an oscillatable shaft, a picker fixed to said shaft, said shaft beingmounted for reciprocationin a path normal to the direction of itslength, means for oscillating said shaft on a temporarily fixed axis tomove the picker from the label receptacle to the gumming station andfrom the gumming station toward the article support, and means actingcoincidently with the movement of the picker toward the article supportfor reciprocating said shaft toward said article support for causing thepicker to engage an article on said support.

4:- In a labeling machine the combination of a label receptacle, agumming station for the label, a support for the article to be labeled,an oscillatable shaft, a pneumatic picker fixed to said shaft, means forexhausting the air from said picker for causing the picker to engage alabel in said label receptacle, means for oscillating said shaft on atemporarily fixed axis to move the picker from the label receptacle fordelivering a label to the gumming station and then away from saidgumming station toward the article support, means for reciprocating saidshaft toward the article support to cause the picker to deliver thelabel upon an. article on the article support, means for gumming saidlabel at the gumming station, and means for admitting air to said pickerafter it has delivered the label to the article.

5. In a labeling machine the combination of a-slide, a picker pivotallymounted on said slide, a label receptacle, a gumming station for thelabel, a support for the article to be labeled, cam actuated means foroscillating the picker from the label receptacle to the gumming stationwhile the slide is at rest, means for moving the slide, and means forsimultaneously oscillating the picker for moving the picker from thegumming station to the article support.

G. In a labeling machine the combination of a slide, a picker pivotallymounted on said slide, a label receptacle, a gumming station for thelabel, a support for the article to be labeled, cam actuated means foroscillating the picker from the label'receptacle to the gumining stationwhile the slide is at'rest, means for moving the slide and means forsimultaneously oscillating the picker for moving the picker from thegumniing station JAMES O CONNOR,

